French Open 2023: Day 1 order of play and schedule – When are Aryna Sabalenka, Dan Evans and Stefanos Tsitsipas playing?

The biggest clay tournament of the year is back with the French Open kicking off on Sunday May 28 in Paris, and it’s looking to be a star-studded line-up on first day.

With reigning champion Rafael Nadal out of the event for the first time since 2005, can any newcomers make their mark at Roland-Garros? Or will favourites Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz be competing in the latter stages?

On the women’s side, Iga Swiatek will defend her title as the world No. 1. However, Coco Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka will certainly push her all the way as they look to get their hands on the Grand Slam trophy.

Top men’s match – Jiri Vesely v Stefanos Tsitsipas

Fifth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas will gear up for an intriguing match against Jiri Vesely in the opening round.

As for Vesely, his tour-level appearances have been limited this year, with his first tournament occurring in April. Starting at the Ostrava Challenger, the 29-year-old advanced to the quarter-finals before a 6-7(5) 6-3 6-4 defeat against Riccardo Bonadio.

He later participated in another Challenger event in Prague, where he fell 6-4 7-5 to Spain’s Pablo Llamas Ruiz.

Tsitsipas will certainly enter the match as the favourite, given his recent performances. Still, despite limited tour activity, Vesely boasts a wealth of experience, making his 11th consecutive appearance at the French Open, with his best performance reaching the third round in 2017.

Top women’s match – Marta Kostyuk v Aryna Sabalenka

Reigning Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka will take on Marta Kostyuk in a thrilling first-round encounter.

As for Kostyuk, she had a mixed performance at recent tournaments. While she had an early exit in singles at the Madrid Open, she reached the semi-finals in doubles. At the Italian Open, she started strong with a straight-sets victory over Claire Liu but was subsequently eliminated in the next round by Paula Badosa.

Brit Watch

It means that Dan Evans, who is seeded 20th, will be the Brit to watch on the first day with a challenging opening match against Australian wild card Thanasi Kokkinakis.

Evans, currently ranked 24th in the world, has had a somewhat underwhelming 2023 season so far, with only eight wins out of his 14 matches on the tour as he has struggled to find consistent form. However, on the European clay, he has shown some promise, securing three victories in Barcelona, where he reached the semi-finals, and two wins in Marrakech, also making it to the last four.

When it comes to Roland-Garros, Evans has faced difficulties in the past, with only one win in six matches. That lone victory came last year after enduring four consecutive first-round losses.

The 107th-ranked Thanasi Kokkinakis enters the tournament with a season record of 9-8. Kokkinakis recently reached the second round in Rome and had an early exit in Madrid.

Kokkinakis holds a 2-3 record at Roland-Garros, with both of his wins dating back eight years ago during his impressive run to the third round. In the previous edition, he suffered a first-round defeat.

Show courts order of play, singles – Sunday May 28 (All UK Times)

Court Philippe Chatrier – From 10:00

• Marta Kostyuk v Aryna Sabalenka (2)
• Jiri Vesely v Stefanos Tsitsipas (5)
• Alize Cornet v Camila Giorgi
• Adrian Mannarino v Ugo Humbert

Court Suzanne Lenglen – From 10:00

• Karen Khachanov (11) v Constant Lestienne
• Maria Sakkari (8) v Karolina Muchova
• Laslo Djere v Andrey Rublev (7)
• Danielle Collins v Jessica Pegula (3)

Court Simonne Mathieu – From 10:00

• David Goffin v Hubert Hurkacz (13)
• Magda Linette (21) v Leylah Fernandez
• Arthur Cazaux (W) v Corentin Moutet
• Jule Niemeier v Daria Kasatkina (9)

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